All or Nothing
by catsmeow79
Summary: Just a little continuation of Ep 10 "Burned" with some Oliver/Laurel goodness.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimers: _**_I've never read the Green Arrow comics, I'm basing my characterizations here solely on the television show. Speaking of the television show, I don't own it :-( which I am super-sad about. If I did own Arrow, Stephen Amell would be contractually obligated to do yard work around my house whilst wearing the vigilante outfit. Alas, life is full of disappointment._

**Author's Note**: _I thought I'd put my own personal Oliver/Laurel-loving spin on the end of Ep. 10 "Burned". Here goes nothing_ . . .

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Laurel sat at her desk, head bent in an attempt at concentration as she poured over the depositions for the Campbell trial next week. It was well past eleven o'clock at night, and with the benefit fire the night before and the dryness of the material in front of her, she was finding it hard to keep herself focused. Picking up a pen, she twirled it absent-mindedly between her fingers as her eyes once again drifted away from the text in front of her and off into space.

Oliver had been perched outside Laurel's apartment on the fire escape for several minutes now, observing her as she worked (or tried to, at any rate). He couldn't help but smile at the way her brow crinkled in annoyance as she looked down at the files in front of her, struggling to maintain her interest. Laurel was one of the most focused and driven people he'd ever met, it served her very well in the courtroom. Unfortunately, there was a downside to that singular focus - when something was bothering her, she just couldn't seem to let it go, it consumed all of her energy. With Danny's murder solved and his killer gone, Oliver couldn't help but wonder what was troubling Laurel tonight.

Sighing loudly Laurel stood, rubbing her neck with her hand as she rocked back and forth on her heels, stretching her legs as the pins and needles from sitting too long stabbed angrily at her limbs. She walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water, more out of habit than of actual thirst. Too anxious to even _pretend_ to think about her depositions anymore, she slid herself up onto the counter, letting her feet dangle as she leaned her head back against the cabinet, closing her eyes momentarily.

Oliver watched as she twisted the cap in irritation, tossing it into the trash and taking several long sips from the container. He found himself again contemplating what could have Laurel so out-of-sorts right now. He couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled several all-night study sessions when she was an under-grad that had resulted in very little actual studying due mainly to his very distracting presence.

Oliver allowed himself a moment of self-pity, wondering if Laurel ever thought about those days fondly . . . or even at all really. _Then again, why would she_? She was with Tommy now. Oliver felt a pang of guilt at the realization that he was almost _hoping_ Tommy was the source of her restlessness, the idea that they were having problems making Oliver happier than it should have. He knew he had been a shitty boyfriend to Laurel and a pretty poor friend to Tommy, the truth was that they _both_ deserved better than him. If they'd found that with each other, Oliver had no right to complain.

In the kitchen, Laurel set the half-empty bottle beside her on the counter, running both hands through her hair and bringing them to rest at the base of her skull, massaging gently where she could feel a pounding tension headache already beginning to build.

If she was being honest with herself, only a small part of her distraction tonight was fatigue-related from the fire; the remaining majority was hood-related. Laurel had made a promise to Joanna - that she would deliver Danny's badge to The Hood. Laurel always kept her promises, so she'd called him earlier this evening and asked to see him. In truth however, Laurel had her own motivation for wanting the meeting, and those reasons were what had her on-edge right now.

Oliver watched as Laurel rubbed her neck, rolling it from side to side slowly, trying to release the tension she was carrying there. He still knew her so well, he could still read her like a book. Oliver understood on a rational and logical level why he and Laurel could never work; even if they managed to move past their painful past, as long as he was forced to lie to her about his extracurricular activities in the present, he would only end up hurting her once again. And the thought of causing Laurel one more moment of pain, was what stopped him any time he foolishly considered confessing his feelings, times like right now when he watched her in silence. It was ironic that Diggle had become his confidante because in his heart, Laurel was the one person Oliver really _wanted_ to know the truth. He wanted her to know that Sarah's death had meant something, that all the pain he'd caused hadn't been for nothing, that it had changed him into someone strong enough to fight to make Starling City a better place.

Oliver shook his head, banishing the unwelcome thoughts. None of that mattered now though, all he could do was keep the people he loved safe with his presence or his absence, depending on the situation. Satisfied that Detective Lance did not have a trap set in Laurel's apartment, and deciding that their was a fine-line between "making a cautious approach" and "spying creepily on an ex", Oliver moved from his crouched position, pulling the hood over his head and slipping quietly through Laurel's previously-locked window.

Before Laurel could fall any deeper into her own ruminations, her apartment lights flickered momentarily before casting the whole place into darkness. The only light remaining was that of the moon streaming in through her open curtains, casting a dim pall. As a result, Laurel sensed him before she actually saw him. As her eyes struggled to adjust, she noticed a shadowy presence to her right, standing only a few feet away in the threshold of the kitchen door. If she feared him, it would have been unnerving to realize how close he could approach before she became aware of his presence, but Laurel wasn't scared of The Hood, not anymore.

"_You needed to see me_?" He inquired, his voice mechanically distorted

"_Thank you for coming_" she answered, sliding down off the counter and back onto the floor.

"_Are you alright_?" Oliver couldn't help but ask (although The Hood wasn't typically one for pleasantries), noting the crease in her brow.

"_I have something for you_" Laurel answered, walking toward her desk.

Laurel moved to brush past him in the threshold of the kitchen door, but The Hood stepped back, turning away as she passed, keeping his visage obscured to her. Laurel opened her top desk drawer, pulling out Danny's badge. Moving back to where he waited, she stood closer than was strictly necessary, holding the box in her out-stretched hand.

"_Danny's mother wanted you to have this_" she explained, her eyes watching him like a hawk as he turned slightly to take the case.

Oliver's gloves made prolonged contact with Laurel's fingertips as she held just a little too tightly to the velvet box before releasing it, pulling him slightly toward her. Laurel was behaving strangely, he could feel a difference in her energy, a difference in the current between them. Oliver resisted the urge to meet her eyes, to try to read her motivation, instead keeping his head down and turning away from her as he opened the box.

"_This belongs with the family_" he answered, his voice catching in his throat slightly at the meaning behind the gesture.

Oliver couldn't help but find it a little sad that Danny's family would never realize how their son had helped The Hood far more than The Hood had helped him, how Danny had helped him find his way back to his path during a time when he was lost. And then there was Laurel, who had always appealed to the better man hidden deep inside of him, helping him a hundred times before the island when he was lost, her memory keeping him steady on the island, standing beside him now, only a hair's-breadth away, her voice soft and reassuring, every fiber of his being screaming for him to reach out to her.

"_It belongs with the man who gave Danny's family closure_" she whispered certainly, reaching out to pat his shoulder tentatively "_It belongs with the man who saved four other firefighters in that squad from being killed tonight_"

Oliver resisted the urge to lean into her touch, to linger in it's warmth, instead closing the box with an resounding "snap" and taking several steps toward the window.

Laurel took a deep breath, steadying her nerves - it was now or never.

"_There's something else_" she said desperately, following him across the room, afraid he would disappear too quickly as he so often did.

The Hood did not turn, nor did he speak, but he did not leave either, so Laurel kept talking.

"_I broke up with Tommy last night_" she revealed, her heart pounding.

Oliver was surprised at her words; surprised that his jealous imaginings could possibly be true, surprised that she would be telling a total stranger about her love-life. Oliver was forced to admit that he watched them together sometimes (_just to make sure she was okay_) and everything had seemed completely fine between Tommy and Laurel at the benefit last night. Then again, Tommy had called-off work this morning, telling him that he would start contacting contractors about the fire damage early next week, so that had been a tad suspicious.

Oliver's mind was racing, trying to imagine why Laurel would share this personal information with The Hood . . . unless she needed his help?

"_Did he hurt you_?" he asked, the mechanical voice-distortion adding an undercurrent of danger to the question, Oliver's fists clenching automatically at the thought. It had not been an idle threat when he'd told Tommy he'd break his neck if he hurt Laurel.

"_No, no absolutely not_" Laurel rushed to answer, taking a few steps closer "_**I**__ hurt __**him**_" she explained her voice soft and sad "_I couldn't give him a drawer, and during the fire last night, I finally realized why _. . ." she paused, taking a deep breath "_all of my drawers still belong to someone else_" she confessed, a tear slipping down her cheek at the admission.

Oliver's heart pounded in his chest, all of the residual feelings he had tucked so carefully away, came rushing to the surface in an instant, overwhelming him with their strength. No matter how hard he had fought to control himself, to be happy and supportive of Tommy and Laurel's relationship, a part of him had ached each time he saw them together. Laurel was standing so close to him now that Oliver was certain she could hear his heartbeat thundering in response to her words.

"_Oliver, they still belong to __**you**_" she finished, finally exhaling the breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.

tbc

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_Please leave a review_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimers**_: _I've never read the Green Arrow comics, I'm basing my characterizations here solely on the television show. Speaking of the television show, I don't own it :-( which I am super-sad about. If I did own Arrow, Stephen Amell would be contractually obligated to do yard work around my house whilst wearing the vigilante outfit. Alas, life is full of disappointment._

_**Author's Note**_: _Here's the conclusion of my little two-shot, hope you enjoy_.

* * *

"_Oliver, they still belong to __**you**_"

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Time seemed to still as her words hung in the darkness between them. Oliver swallowed hard, his mind racing to process her words rationally even as his heart threatened to burst from his chest at the swell of emotions crashing across his defenses, dashing them to bits.

Now that she had closed her eyes and jumped, Laurel found herself strangely calm, all of her previous anxiety gone. Oliver hadn't said anything, he hadn't even turned to face her, but she was standing close enough that she could tell he was trembling, even in the darkness. This was the moment in which Laurel knew for certain that she was right about the two of them, they had never truly been over.

"_Last night, during the fire, when I realized that you weren't behind me anymore, that you were still inside the building . . ._" she began in way of explanation, pausing momentarily as she remembered the way her heart had leapt into her throat, threatening to choke her _". . . I was scared for you in this way that I just wasn't for Tommy, or even for myself_" she continued, her voice soft but steady "_And I realized that even after all of this time, and all of the pain between us, I still couldn't imagine ever feeling that way about anyone __**besides**__ you_."

Oliver found himself unable to respond, his words dying in his throat before he could give them life. He had messed up so badly in the past, disappointed so many people that he loved, he couldn't stand the thought of hurting Laurel again. A torrent of conflicting emotions raged inside of him, his mind returning to a swirling sea, a sinking yacht and Sarah's voice screaming his name, her arms reaching for him, too far away, the look of terror in her eyes as the sea pulled her under. In his mind's eye it was Laurel he couldn't reach this time, Laurel whom he failed.

"_Oliver, look at me_" she implored, sensing that he was drifting away into the darkness.

Laurel's voice anchored him to this moment, pulling him back to the present. Finally, he turned to face her head-on for the first time tonight, finding her eyes bright and clear as she met his gaze steadily.

"_How did you figure it out_?" he asked quietly, using his own voice now.

Laurel could see that Oliver was avoiding the larger issue for the moment, buying time, giving himself a chance to regain his equilibrium. She could hardly blame him, she'd had an entire day to process this new reality and he'd had only five minutes.

Last night she'd felt just the same as he was feeling now, her unexpected emotions hitting her like a ton of bricks - - her fear for Oliver, her inability to commit to Tommy - - the realization that she was still in love with Oliver Queen. That epiphany, and the thought of losing him inside the burning night club had made the entire world start to spin around her as she'd fallen to the ground, surrounded by the flames.

The relief she'd felt when Oliver joined them minutes later, saying he'd gone out the back exit after making sure the rest of the guests and catering crew had escaped unharmed was palpable. She'd been practically catatonic when Tommy had driven her home, lost inside her own head - her feelings for Oliver surprising her more than they really should have, in retrospect.

When she'd told Tommy she "couldn't do this" he hadn't even seemed surprised or angry, just sad. "I get it. I wish you both the best" is all he'd said before kissing her on the cheek and leaving silently. Tommy had seen her reaction back at the club when Oliver was missing, he'd been the one to drag her away from the flames when she'd wanted to run towards them. He didn't need her to spell it out for him.

Intuitively understanding Oliver's need to go slowly, Laurel decided to answer the question he'd actually asked - "_how did you figure it out_?", rather than the one she knew he _**wanted**_ to know the answer to "_what does this mean_?".

"_You disappeared inside the building and the vigilante magically appeared two minutes later to save Chief Raines' life_?" Laurel began, raising her eyebrows as she teased him a little, trying to ease the tension "_Quite the coincidence, I'd say_"

"_Circumstantial evidence, counselor_" he argued, smiling slightly as he recognized her attempt to lighten the mood and tried to go along with it.

"_I didn't see it right away_" Laurel confessed, shaking her head "_I asked The Hood for help looking into Danny's death. And somehow, every time I turned around, there __**you**__ were - - outside the firehouse, at the benefit_" she continued "_You were the one who put the pieces together, you were the one who figured out that Garfield Lintz was still alive_"

Oliver listened to her explanation, torn between cursing his own stupidity for being discovered, and relief that he no longer needed to lie to Laurel - he'd never been very good at it, she'd always seemed to see right through him.

"_Voice distortion or not, did you really think I wouldn't recognize you standing two feet away from me_?" she asked, almost as if she'd read his mind "_There was always something so familiar that I just couldn't quite put my finger on _. . ." she explained, trailing off.

Laurel was silent for a few moments, lost in her own thoughts as she let Oliver process her words. After Tommy had left, she'd spent the rest of the night curled-up on her couch, wrapped in a fleece throw, sobbing her eyes out. She cried for Sarah and Oliver's betrayal, she cried because she'd ultimately lost them both - Oliver had pretty much steered clear of her since his return to Starling City, their occasional interactions leaving her confused as to how he could manage to make her feel so close to him and yet so far away at the exact same time, like he was two different people.

And then, around 4am it had hit her - - he _**was**_ two different people. Ollie and Tommy had been the first people saved by the vigilante. She was an idiot for not having seen it sooner - - he'd saved her life at the prison, the usually cool and calculating Hood, mercilessly pummeling the man who tried to choke her, but the vigilante had stopped short of killing the guy when she'd asked him to. Knowing it was Oliver changed the way she remembered what she saw that night, and all the nights thereafter, as well. The secrets he was hiding, the polygraph test, the moments of connection between them that he always seemed to pull away from, like he was afraid of her getting too close.

Suddenly, everything had made sense to Laurel. Realizing that she still loved Ollie, and figuring out that he was the vigilante had been two separate and unrelated events. But taken together, like the pieces of a puzzle, they created a complete picture. Now she understood why her heart and her head had seemed to tell her different things, pulling her in seemingly opposite directions.

Finally knowing the truth, all Laurel was left with then was to decide how to deal with it, what did she _want_? It wasn't that difficult really, now that she understood why Oliver had been so guarded since his return. She would do what she always did - close her eyes and jump, let her feelings control her. She was an all or nothing type of girl, and she wanted it all with Oliver Queen.

"_It finally makes sense now" _she continued_ "how distant you've been since you got back, pushing me away, keeping me at arm's length - you've been busy secretly saving the world_" she concluded, holding his gaze steadily, daring him to argue.

Oliver swallowed again, struggling to breathe around the lump that had formed in his throat. Laurel was looking at him like she could see straight into his soul, like she knew everything that was inside of him, and he suddenly felt more vulnerable than he ever had before. She was telling him exactly what he wanted to hear - - that she understood who he truly was, that she could live with who he was, and it was too good to be true, too good to believe.

"_Tommy_ . . ." he started, his rational mind conjuring obstacles

"..._ didn't seem surprised_" Laurel explained, interrupting before Oliver could finish "_ he said that he understood_, _that he wants us both to be happy._"

"_It's a lie_" Oliver responded, smiling ruefully "_It's the same one that I told_"

"_It isn't the same_" Laurel argued "_Tommy and I hadn't even gotten started yet_"

"_What about your father_?" Oliver inquired, remembering the contempt Detective Lance had held for him _before_ the island, let alone since.

"_He doesn't get a vote in my love-life_" Laurel responded glibly, knowing that wasn't what Oliver was getting at.

"_That's __**not**__ what I meant_" he clarified "_I'm a criminal, he's a cop_"

"_You're on the same side_" Laurel replied with conviction "_Whether my father knows it or not_"

"_You'll have to lie to him_" Oliver said sadly "_Because of me_"

"_I can't un-know your secrets Oliver, not now" _she answered steadily, her eyes holding his softly_ "not unless you have an arrow that erases memories_?"

"_If I did, would you take it_?" he couldn't help but ask, needing to know the truth

"_No, I wouldn't_" she confessed honestly, shaking her head "_For the first time since you got back, my world makes sense again_"

Historically, Oliver had never won an argument with Laurel, he'd rarely stood a chance. This time, he couldn't help but wonder if he even _wanted_ to win, but something inside of him kept trying anyway.

"_I'm a killer Laurel, you said it yourself. You don't want to get mixed up with me_" he warned "_You're liable to get hurt even worse than before_"

Laurel had heard everything that he was saying before - - she'd heard it in her own head, and she had decided that none of it mattered _more_ than the second chance she'd been given to be with Oliver. Taking a step closer and erasing the space that remained between them, she whispered certainly "_I __**know**__ who you are_" one hand reaching out to rest itself atop his chest gently while the other trailed it's way upwards.

Oliver's pulse jumped at the contact, the intimate way she was holding his gaze making it impossible for him to turn away.

"_You're making this too complicated_" she accused, dragging her other hand slowly across his cheek and then overtop his hair, pushing the hood off of his head, leaving her hand resting at the base of his skull "_Just tell me that you don't still love me_" she suggested.

Oliver couldn't help but lean into her touch as she massaged the base of his skull gently, her fingertips searing patterns into his skin while the weight of her other hand upon his heart seemed to hold him steady, keeping him from flying into pieces at her proximity.

"_Tell me that you don't want me_" she challenged, standing on her tiptoes to breathe the words directly into his ear.

Her warmth radiated across his entire being, beginning as a soft caress of breath against his cheek and spreading like wildfire until every nerve-ending in his body was tingling.

"_Tell me that you don't want me and the conversation will be over_" she repeated, leaning backward just a hair so she could look up into his eyes.

As he looked into Laurel's eyes, Oliver couldn't help but remember the sharp pain, the agony spreading throughout his entire body as The Dark Archer's arrows had sliced into his back, the way the fog had surrounded him quickly. His last thought before the darkness consumed him had been of Laurel, what would happen to her, to his family if they lost him again? And he had been afraid, for the first time in five years he had let his fear control him in the weeks that came after.

Now, with Laurel's perceptive gaze bearing down upon him, he wondered if perhaps Diggle had been right after all. _Maybe it was better to face death with something to live for_? Better for him perhaps, but certainly not better for Laurel, he thought, imagining all the pain he'd already caused her.

"_I can't promise that this will end well_" Oliver finally whispered, his voice heavy with emotion as tried one last time to dissuade her "_I can't promise that I won't get myself killed some day_"

"_I know that_" Laurel responded, unshed tears shining in her eyes "_I'm an all or nothing type of girl, Oliver. I've survived your death once already, I could do it again if I have to_" she assured him, her voice soft as her fingers began to move gently across his chest, tapping slowly in time with the rhythm of his heartbeat "_I just don't want to miss what comes in between now and then_" she promised, a stray tear slipping down her cheek as she spoke.

Oliver looked down into her eyes and he was lost, drowning in their liquid depths. Laurel had always been braver than he was. She had been generous outside the firehouse yesterday when she'd said they "spooked each other", _she_ hadn't been the one to get scared. Five years ago _he_ had been the one who got spooked, _he_ was the one who had sabotaged their relationship.

Well, he wasn't that same guy anymore, and he wasn't going to let his fears control him any longer. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he decided to follow Laurel's lead . . . and jump.

"_I love you_" Oliver finally confessed, closing the space between them as he reached for Laurel, threading his fingers through her hair "_I want you_" he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.

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The End


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